I’m loosing weight fast, When should I slow it down to retain muscle

[Heat1992]

Hi

Right now I’m 68 inches 5,8 feet tall around 267 pounds and 37% body fat. I switched from tracking macros and calories to just eating a Whole Foods diet and just trying my best to practice food portion control so I can learn to do it for the rest of my life and live a better healthier life.

I’ve lost quite a lot of weight fast doing that and I don’t feel uncomfortably hungry and I feel good strength wise in the gym. Here is my 5x5 routine I’m still working on please let me know if It’s ok.
https://imgur.com/a/SlYU1

Here is my weekly weight loss log
Week 1- 5.6 Lbs lost
Week 2- 4.7 Lbs Lost
Week 3. 3.8 Lbs Lost
Week 4- 3.9 Lbs Lost
Week 5- 3.6 Lbs Lost
Week 6- 2.7 Lbs Lost
Week 7- 3.1 Lbs Lost
Week 8- 4 Lbs Lost
Week 9- 2.5 Lbs Lost
Week 10- 2.8 Lbs Lost
Week 11-3.2 Lbs Lost

Here’s my Calorie Log using portion control method. My calories are all over the place since I just do portion control now.
I decided to count randomly for a couple of week to get an idea what I’m eating using portion control.
Mon-1426 cal
Tue-2296 cal
Wed-2094
Thur-1694
Fri-1986
Sat-2457
Sun-1789
Mon-1971
Tue-2004
Wed-2389
Thur-2353
Fri-1975
Sat-2501
Sun-1689

At what point should I really slow down my weight loss so I don’t tap into too much muscle loss? I heard that morbidly obese people can loose quite alot of weight without loosing muscle but to what point? I was thinking maybe slowing down around 220 pounds and only loose 2 pounds a week and then eventually lower it down 0.5-1 weight loss a week. My Lean body mass is I think around 175 so I should lean out at around 185-190?

Last question is.. people say strength comes back after you stop cutting and bring calories back up to maintenance.. But surely the muscle you lost won’t rebuild as fast? How do I know I’m not loosing too much muscle since strength loss will happen anyways while cutting? I hope I won’t loose so much muscle since I’m eating a lot of meat and I’m lifting heavy on my 5x5 program. Im also adding in high carb days and meals for gym days to help out the workouts

[chamelious]

At your stats i wouldn't worry about that for a long time. Probably sub 200lbs.

Also bare in mind that even if your current lean mass is 175lbs, if won't be when you've lost 80+lbs of bodyweight.

[Heat1992]

Also bare in mind that even if your current lean mass is 175lbs, if won't be when you've lost 80+lbs of bodyweight.

Why is that? Because of muscle loss? So I’ll prob lean out much lower then.. maybe 175,hard to tell.
And alright thanks I can really keep up this rate of weight loss without worrying much about muscle loss until sub 200s?

[chamelious]

Why is that? Because of muscle loss? So I’ll prob lean out much lower then.. maybe 175,hard to tell.
And alright thanks I can really keep up this rate of weight loss without worrying much about muscle loss until sub 200s?

When you're that overweight, don't even worry about muscle loss. If you're training right it won't happen anyway to any significant degree.

175lbs "lean mass" at 5 8 naturally....yeah no. "Lean mass" doesn't mean "muscle mass" it means everything that's not fat. Even if you maintain muscle mass, your "lean mass" will go down.

[rhadam]

You likely don't have much muscle to begin with, so there's no sense in worrying about loss. Best thing is that when you get to a desirable weight it's easier to regain muscle.

[philgriffiths]

Ride the wave buddy. 3-4 lb per week at your stats is fine and dandy. More power to you.

I'm a little tired on seeing people 250-300lb on this site losing less than 1lb per week to be honest. That's such a negligible weight at their starting point that they're genuinely not even trying.

[DAJDive]

I'm a little tired on seeing people 250-300lb on this site losing less than 1lb per week to be honest. That's such a negligible weight at their starting point that they're genuinely not even trying.

Depends. I've lost 95 pounds so far over the course of three years. It takes a while to break years of bad eating habits and to build good ones. In my opinion, getting the healthy eating and exercising habits should be a higher priority than the speed of weight loss. Weight loss is nothing if it can't be maintained.

[xsquid99]

Remember as you drop body weight your daily caloric needs will drop as well. So at 267 lbs you might be losing 3-4 lbs a week but at 200 lbs (if you continue to eat roughly the same) you may only lose 1-2lbs a week.

[Heat1992]

You likely don't have much muscle to begin with, so there's no sense in worrying about loss. Best thing is that when you get to a desirable weight it's easier to regain muscle.

Ive been working out since 2009 consistently so I know I do so I’m just trying to be careful. I see it all the time on YouTube and here where people just loose almost all their muscle because of training and diet. But like I said I’m eating quite comfortably using portion control by eye, I’m not even trying to loose so much weight but it’s still happening. I guess when I get near 200 pounds I’ll have to start counting again so I don’t loose so much.

[Heat1992]

Ride the wave buddy. 3-4 lb per week at your stats is fine and dandy. More power to you.

I'm a little tired on seeing people 250-300lb on this site losing less than 1lb per week to be honest. That's such a negligible weight at their starting point that they're genuinely not even trying.

I agree thanks!

[Heat1992]

Depends. I've lost 95 pounds so far over the course of three years. It takes a while to break years of bad eating habits and to build good ones. In my opinion, getting the healthy eating and exercising habits should be a higher priority than the speed of weight loss. Weight loss is nothing if it can't be maintained.

I understand that but ever since I switched to a Whole Foods diet I feel so much better. I can eat more and loose more weight and feel comfortable. I’m literally going to bed full or lightly hungry. And fasting has helped my mental disclipline to stick to it. And to be honest I’ve always been in the gym lifting weights since I was young but my eating habits havent been the best but it got worse when I’m was put on medication in 2010 for my thyroid. But I’m doing good on this Whole Foods diet and if I feel like eating out, myfitnesspal helps to make sure I’m still in a defecit.

[whowaspotential]

You likely don't have much muscle to begin with, so there's no sense in worrying about loss. Best thing is that when you get to a desirable weight it's easier to regain muscle.

Did you click OP's link? He's pretty got damn strong and has clearly been lifting for a long time. Disagree.

I'd count cals for at least a few weeks and adjust to lose no more than 2-3lbs/week. 3 if you want to get the weight off sooner, 2 if you are more concerned about mass. Keep protein up and continue to lift.

Make sure to weigh yourself first thing in the morning after you pee to keep things as consistent as possible.

[Heat1992]

Remember as you drop body weight your daily caloric needs will drop as well. So at 267 lbs you might be losing 3-4 lbs a week but at 200 lbs (if you continue to eat roughly the same) you may only lose 1-2lbs a week.

I gotcha thanks
I’ll start counting again when I’m near 200s then probably

Is my program structure ok ?
https://imgur.com/a/SlYU1

[Swolebak]

I gotcha thanks
I’ll start counting again when I’m near 200s then probably

Is my program structure ok ?

Routine looks fine to me. Your lifts look great and if you could maintain that strength while dropping below 200, you'll be looking awesome.


So you have 11 weeks of your personal weight loss data. Have you not noticed already that your weight loss has slowed naturally? Your first 2 weeks you lost 10.3lb and your last 2 weeks you've lost 6lb . A big reason you can lose weight so fast at the higher bodyweight levels is because your RMR is significantly higher (by carrying a lot more weight around). If you keep doing what you are doing, your weight loss will continue to slow. I strongly recommend to keep doing what you're doing exactly, as long as your lifts are not decreasing rapidly, till you plateau (and you probably will). Then, only when you plateau, is when I would consider to change anything. And you don't need to worry about slowing down, because that is already happening naturally and will continue to happen.

[rhadam]

Did you click OP's link? He's pretty got damn strong and has clearly been lifting for a long time. Disagree.

I'd count cals for at least a few weeks and adjust to lose no more than 2-3lbs/week. 3 if you want to get the weight off sooner, 2 if you are more concerned about mass. Keep protein up and continue to lift.

Make sure to weigh yourself first thing in the morning after you pee to keep things as consistent as possible.

I don't click links or look at pics. If he's been lifting since 09 i'd expect he wouldn't need to ask such basic questions.

This is basic stuff: retain the most muscle by meeting protein minimum intake levels (.8g per lb of body weight), and keeping deficit calories at moderate levels. Typically anything under 500 calories (of deficit) will be fine. The more overweight you are, the stronger deficit you can run while retaining muscle. Anything under 17 or 18% body fat i'd reduce to 500 calorie deficit or lower. Basic stuff.

[Heat1992]

I don't click links or look at pics. If he's been lifting since 09 i'd expect he wouldn't need to ask such basic questions.

This is basic stuff: retain the most muscle by meeting protein minimum intake levels (.8g per lb of body weight), and keeping deficit calories at moderate levels. Typically anything under 500 calories (of deficit) will be fine. The more overweight you are, the stronger deficit you can run while retaining muscle. Anything under 17 or 18% body fat i'd reduce to 500 calorie deficit or lower. Basic stuff.

Thanks I appreciate that. I just lift and this is my first major cut so I’m still learning. So I can keep at it until 17-18% and then I’ll have to really slow it down.

Last question..
If I’m loosing too much strength should I take breaks at maintenance? How does that work? Or just go all the way to my goal of 12% body fat and not care about strength loss? (I’ll still try my best to lift as heavy) I shouldn’t have to worry about this until around 17-18% body fat?

[rhadam]

Thanks I appreciate that. I just lift and this is my first major cut so I’m still learning. So I can keep at it until 17-18% and then I’ll have to really slow it down.

Last question..
If I’m loosing too much strength should I take breaks at maintenance? How does that work? Or just go all the way to my goal of 12% body fat and not care about strength loss? (I’ll still try my best to lift as heavy) I shouldn’t have to worry about this until around 17-18% body fat?

Taking a break only stalls your weight loss. What's more important to you: weight loss or strength? I can assume weight loss. Ideally you cut to about 14% body fat and then recomp. If you aren't happy with your body, strength seems like it would be the least of your concerns.

[Heat1992]

Taking a break only stalls your weight loss. What's more important to you: weight loss or strength? I can assume weight loss. Ideally you cut to about 14% body fat and then recomp. If you aren't happy with your body, strength seems like it would be the least of your concerns.

I won’t lie.. I have a bad fear of loosing the muscle I’ve built over the years. I would hate to loose most of the progress because I really want to see what I’ve put on over 9 years of lifting. Ive seen people loose a lot of their mass all the time on YouTube and on the forums so it really messes with my head. Last time I did a cut I lost lots of strength and people were saying strength loss is a indicator of muscle loss.. Others were saying most pressing compound movements go down with body weight so it isn’t muscle loss... others were saying strength comes back after a cut and you don’t loose muscle ect so I’m still confused. My priority is to loose weight but maintain as much muscle as possible. I could care less about strength for now but if I’m loosing too much strength I just wanted to know if that means muscle loss and what should I do if that happens? People were saying that’s when you should spent some time at maintenance. Idk

But I’m going to do what you said with protein and slow it down from 2.5-3lbs weight loss a week to 0.5-1 when I hit 18% body fat and keep lifting as heavy as possible with the 5x5. I’m hoping I’ll maintain as much mass as possible doing that.

[chamelious]

Again this is basic stuff:

Most of the strength you lose will be absolute strength. You're not just overweight, you're very overweight, and a lot of the big compound lifts benefit greatly from this, just check out 95% of powerlifters.

As has been said, the reason you're losing weight fast is because you are very overweight. Once it comes down a bit, weight loss will naturally slow.

[philgriffiths]

I won’t lie.. I have a bad fear of loosing the muscle I’ve built over the years. I would hate to loose most of the progress because I really want to see what I’ve put on over 9 years of lifting. Ive seen people loose a lot of their mass all the time on YouTube and on the forums so it really messes with my head. Last time I did a cut I lost lots of strength and people were saying strength loss is a indicator of muscle loss.. Others were saying most pressing compound movements go down with body weight so it isn’t muscle loss... others were saying strength comes back after a cut and you don’t loose muscle ect so I’m still confused. My priority is to loose weight but maintain as much muscle as possible. I could care less about strength for now but if I’m loosing too much strength I just wanted to know if that means muscle loss and what should I do if that happens? People were saying that’s when you should spent some time at maintenance. Idk

But I’m going to do what you said with protein and slow it down from 2.5-3lbs weight loss a week to 0.5-1 when I hit 18% body fat and keep lifting as heavy as possible with the 5x5. I’m hoping I’ll maintain as much mass as possible doing that.

Tried to rep you but already on spread. Great that you're taking everything on board, no doubt with that positive attitude you will get down to where you want to be and keep as much of the muscle mass you currently have as possible.
Also, just to point out bud, it is "lose" and "losing" (think about the eminem song, "lose yourself". Either that, or "loose as a goose"). Just a heads up

[Heat1992]

Tried to rep you but already on spread. Great that you're taking everything on board, no doubt with that positive attitude you will get down to where you want to be and keep as much of the muscle mass you currently have as possible.
Also, just to point out bud, it is "lose" and "losing" (think about the eminem song, "lose yourself". Either that, or "loose as a goose"). Just a heads up

lmao thanks mate

[katya422]

Ride the wave buddy. 3-4 lb per week at your stats is fine and dandy. More power to you.

I'm a little tired on seeing people 250-300lb on this site losing less than 1lb per week to be honest. That's such a negligible weight at their starting point that they're genuinely not even trying.

Looks like you are doing great. If you are just eating well, getting enough protein, and working out consistently I wouldn't worry too much. When you get to a 34" waist (roughly) then you should be around a normal BMI.

[Heat1992]

Looks like you are doing great. If you are just eating well, getting enough protein, and working out consistently I wouldn't worry too much. When you get to a 34" waist (roughly) then you should be around a normal BMI.

OK thank you
I’m 40-43 waistline right now

[NitrogenWidget]

fat manlet who dropped a ton of weight and dropping weight again checking in.
Just keep going.
As long as you get your prot. and lift drop as much fat as you can because it will eventually peter off and you will end up at the 2lbs or less stage.

Far as i'm concerned the faster you get there the better and I've noticed no real loss of muscle mass when cutting down to 160lbs.
just keep in mind you are fatter than you think and will end up smaller than you think in order to get where you want.
your lifts may also suffer but they come back once you start eating closer to maint.

[Heat1992]

fat manlet who dropped a ton of weight and dropping weight again checking in.
Just keep going.
As long as you get your prot. and lift drop as much fat as you can because it will eventually peter off and you will end up at the 2lbs or less stage.

Far as i'm concerned the faster you get there the better and I've noticed no real loss of muscle mass when cutting down to 160lbs.
just keep in mind you are fatter than you think and will end up smaller than you think in order to get where you want.
your lifts may also suffer but they come back once you start eating closer to maint.

Thanks mate and good luck on your goals!
I’m looking forward to seeing a smaller more defined version of myself. All I can really see muscle wise is my traps,shoulders,arms,calves,upper chest. Everything else is covered by fat completely.

How much weight did you loose in the past? Did you loose a lot of strength?

[NitrogenWidget]

Thanks mate and good luck on your goals!
I’m looking forward to seeing a smaller more defined version of myself. All I can really see muscle wise is my traps,shoulders,arms,calves,upper chest. Everything else is covered by fat completely.

How much weight did you loose in the past? Did you loose a lot of strength?

About 6-7 yrs ago I dropped over 100lbs.
my strength went to chit but came back in about a month.
Now when I cut down i need to keep with the lifting this time around or i'll gain back.
I like my home brew.

[Heat1992]

About 6-7 yrs ago I dropped over 100lbs.
my strength went to chit but came back in about a month.
Now when I cut down i need to keep with the lifting this time around or i'll gain back.
I like my home brew.

Ah ok nice to hear you gained the strength back quick. I did loose 100 pounds in 2010 but was a begginer so I gained strength. I’ve done 30-40 pound cuts on Keto and low carb diets but lost tons of strength lol. The worst was my bench press went from I think 275x8 to 225x4 and rows 275x8 to 185x6 it was bad. I’m not cutting out any macros this time so I doubt that will happen again.

[NitrogenWidget]

Ah ok nice to hear you gained the strength back quick. I did loose 100 pounds in 2010 but was a begginer so I gained strength. I’ve done 30-40 pound cuts on Keto and low carb diets but lost tons of strength lol. The worst was my bench press went from I think 275x8 to 225x4 and rows 275x8 to 185x6 it was bad. I’m not cutting out any macros this time so I doubt that will happen again.

I'd have to find my old workout logs but i remember still being able to pull 300lbs on the DL all the way until the last 10lbs.
just less reps.
I went PSMF then and only did some cardio and light weight training while I was on that.
but most of my other lifts dropped noticeably.
I used the leg press machine at the gym and that stayed fairly stable if I remember correctly but again less reps and probably had to drop a plates or two.
things like shoulders and chest tanked big time.